Step 4: Remove the lemon zest

Step 5: Dilute, sweeten, and enjoy!

Remember when I said we'd dilute it down to something more reasonable? Now's the time. I used 4 cups of water and 2-1/2 of sugar, which is a decent st...

Limoncello is a sweet, lemon-flavored Italian liqueur. Unlike many liqueurs, it's very easy to make at home, requiring only the most basic of ingredients and tools. Doing so is easy but rewarding--from a scientific perspective for the chemistry involved in the process, and from a culinary perspective for the simple joy of drinking something you made from scratch.

One of the interesting things about limoncello is that it isn't sour at all (if it's made properly). This is because there's no lemon juice in it. The lemon flavor comes from lemon zest--the very outside of the lemon peel, where the essential oils are most concentrated.

In its native Italy, limoncello is most frequently taken cold, as a digestif (an after-dinner drink). I find it especially refreshing early in the evening on a hot day, but it's enjoyable any time you like.

Step 1: Overview

So, how do you make this wonderful stuff? The ingredients are as follows:

1 750 mL bottle of grain alcohol ( Everclear or similar, also known as rectified spirit--as long as it's potable, strong, and unflavored you'll be fine)Zest of 8 lemonsSugarWater

Simple, yes? Oh, you'll also need a glass jar in which to keep the stuff. Be sure you have lots of spare room, as you'll add more liquid later. Mine is two liters, and works great.

You want to get the strongest alcohol you can get your hands on. Vodka, even the 100 proof stuff, isn't sufficient. In some states, such as Nevada, you can get 190-proof Everclear, which is 95% ethyl alcohol. Alas, California isn't one of them, so I'll make do with 151 proof (75.5% alcohol, which is still pretty stiff). You can as well, but go with the high-test if you get it. You'll dilute it down to something drinkable later; right now we need a strong but potable nonpolar solvent, and high-proof alcohol fits the bill. I understand an old catalog came with a disclaimer that Everclear was to be used "for the production of homemade cordials," or some such, which is exactly what you're doing here.

I NEED TO BUY A BOTTLE OF ALCOHAL A PILE OF LEMONS WORK MY BUT OFF TO MAKE THE SUGAR WATER AND PEEL THE LEMONS AND HAVE A MESS TO CLEAN UP, THEN WAIT A MONTH TO FIND OUT I MIGHT HAVE SOMTHING GOOD, JUST TO SAVE $20.... NO THANKS!

The heating results in a much richer limoncello, but there is a bit of fire hazard that you should be aware of. The shaking method did not drop the proof down, but worked well if you want a very "hot" and flavorful limoncello. The final one turned out the best as a standard comparison to limoncello.

I don't see why not, but I'd experiment with a smaller batch to be on the safe side. Also recall that you'll drink this stuff an ounce or two at a time, so you're not getting that much sugar per drink.

Oh, also, I don't think Splenda has this problem, but be advised that NutraSweet (aspartame) breaks down under heat, so you shouldn't heat the stuff to get it to dissolve, because you'll be left with water that has a tiny bit of protein in it.

I've tried lime zest with Bacardi rum. Really good and pretty too. Be sure to use cheese cloth get all of the particles out of it or it will look muddy. Try orange zest in vodka; nice. I wonder how mint leaves would do?

why did you add the sugar syrup at the last step i am asking this because almost all liqueur recipes I've looked they put the sugar, fruit and alcohol together then wait. is there any difference ? thanks a lot

You would add sugar at the beginning if you were trying to ferment your fruit to produce alchohol. Little micro-organisms use the sugar in fruits to fuel their reactions, and alcohol is one of the byproducts. If we were fermenting lemons, we'd use the fruit, not the peel, because of the fruit's high sugar content. Adding sugar would boost the reaction, to a point. But in this case, all of the fermentation and fortification has been done for us. The result: Everclear. Also, adding sugar in the beginning of this recipe would be kinda pointless, because sugar is water soluble, not alcohol soluble. Since Everclear is almost pure alcohol, very little of the sugar would dissolve into the solution. The rest would just sit at the bottom of your container, doing nothing. Sugar is only added to this recipe because is makes the drink sweet. Therefore, it can wait till the end, just like adding sugar to your coffee or tea.

that is not what they are talking about. gulcin was asking if it mattered that a lot of recipes for LIQUEUR have you adding sugar directly to the jar in the begining. so the tutorial on fermentation was not needed. i have done it both ways. and adding the sugar in the begining just gives the sugar time to disolve(which it will) it just takes a lot longer. but because it is added in the begining, time is not an issue. in short it is just two seperate ways to add sugar to the liquid.

also everyone...you can use vodka...it works just fine. people say this all the time but they are wrong. i cant buy everclear in my state and i make things like this all the time with vodka. it works great.

If you keep it in the freezer, it gets smooth and silky. Try it. And that is correct. Mine's been sitting for 3 weeks now in the freezer and every time I take a taste it get s better and better. DELICIOUS!

Cannot find 'Everclear' in the UK, and the only grain alcohols I've found are used as cleaning fluid(?). I have, however, discovered a vodka on sale in the UK that is 88% proof (Balken). Would this do or would it taint the flavour of the resultant lemoncello?

Just made my first batch today. I bought a 1.75L of grain alcohol and used 20 Meyer Lemons. I tried a conventional lemon and found it hard to do with my peeler and more difficult to remove the pith. Using the peeler on the Meyers was easy and took the extra step of scraping off any pith. It is steeping as we speak and anxious to taste the results. if anyone is interest in homemade drinks you should try "Apple Pie". Lots of recepies on line and pretty easy. You combine apple juice, apple cider, sugar, cinamon and grain alcohol and its ready to drink, hot or cold.

1) 151- or 195-proof grain alcohol? 2) Have you done a comparison between a batch prepared with Meyer lemons and regular ones? If so, what were the results? 3) Any proportions or recipes that you recommend on the Apple Pie drink?

I;m in Florida and can only get 153 proof. This is my first batch so have no comparison with other lems. As to Apple Pie it's kinda like Limoncello...lots of different recipes. Think I used half gallon of apple cider, half gallon of apple juice, maybe 4-5 cups of sugar and about 8 sticks of cinammon. Having tasted others and making several batches I learned this: take the cinamon sticks out before you bottle it, otherwise the cinamon taste is too strong IMHO. You can always add little more alcohol or sugr to meet your tastes....mmmmgood.

My first batch following your recipe turned out delicious! It turned out not as yellow because I used organic unbleached cane sugar - the sugar granules were brownish - turning my limoncello.... well, brownish. Tastes great, but now I feel weird giving it away. Oh well, my closest friends won't mind and there's more for me now. Just wish I hadn't made a double batch. It's a learning lesson for next time. I thought I'd post so others can learn from my mistakes.

I'm about 3.5 weeks into my zest soak. I used the micro-grater side of my cheese grater to zest the lemons, though, and my zest is much smaller than yours in the pic. I'm not sure if I should soak the zest for a shorter time since there is technically more surface area making contact with the evercleer. It's now a rich yellow color. Any advice is appreciated!

I've tried this recipe 3 times now (it makes great Christmas gifts), and every time I do it, I have to make more and more. This time, I diversified into Lemoncello, Orangecello, Limecello, and Grapefruitcello - my favorite!

Thanks ! I have had some batches end up with a golden color rather than the usual creamy yellow color. They taste similar, the creamy yellow being sweeter. Do you know why it would be a different color ? I'm making gallons for a wedding and the only thing I can think to do is mix them for a consistent color.

Not sure why it would end up a different color after you make it. I noticed that it changed from that gold to the creamy yellow after I added the hot sugar + water mixture. I was a little worried that the boiling water would cause some of the alcohol to boil off when you mixed it, but I might try letting some if it cool down before I mixed next time.

Mixing it is probably the way to go. My guess is that the translucent ones actually do have more sugar in them as compared to the amount of lemon-flavor compounds, causing those compounds to coalesce into droplets in the liquid. Cf. the ouzo effect. I know next to nothing about the chemistry here, though.

Oh, awesome. I make a fair amount of it myself--I was worried that the people at the liquor store were getting terrible ideas about me and the quantities of Everclear I bought, but it looks like you're well beyond my quota. Glad you're enjoying it!

Impressive! Looks like you are having fun. My first (small) batch is 2/3 lime 1/3 lemon. I only let it sit w/ the zest 6 days but it had a cool green color. I let it sit in the noon sun for 1 hour to extract a bit more zest before straining it. Poured in the sugar today for a party a week from now. Can't wait for the finished product! Should be a hit. I'll be proud either way, since it tastes good now!